Dell begins rolling out Ubuntu 8.04, adds media codecs

Dell has announced plans to start shipping Ubuntu 8.04 on its Linux-based …

Dell announced yesterday that Ubuntu 8.04, which was released in April, is now available preinstalled on several of the computers in their Linux-based hardware lineup, including the XPS M1330, Inspiron 1525N, and Inspiron 530N.

In an entry published in the hardware company's official blog, Dell product strategist Daniel Judd also revealed some of the details of Dell's Linux roadmap. He says that Ubuntu 8.04 will be coming to more computers next month during LinuxWorld.

We reviewed an Inspiron 1420N with Ubuntu 7.04 last year shortly after Dell launched the product. We were very impressed with the strong hardware compatibility and ease of use, but encountered problems with multimedia support. Dell began to address those problems with the 7.10 release by adding legal support for DVD playback. With the 8.04 release, Dell is going a step further and will be adding licensed codecs for common audio and video formats.

Dell's commitment to Linux is clearly expanding with each new release and the changes appear to be based squarely on user feedback. This is a promising indication that Linux is making headway in the conventional retail market. Although the price difference between Dell's Linux and Windows offerings isn't particularly wide, Dell seems to have found a surprising degree of success in marketing to the Linux enthusiast niche.